Ambarish Kulkarni honored for graduate advising and mentoring
Chemical engineering assistant professor Ambarish Kulkarni is one of 34 faculty members across UC Davis to receive an inaugural Graduate Advising and Mentoring Award. He was nominated by the chemical engineering graduate program in recognition of service to the program, commitment to advising and mentorship the positive impact he has had on both graduate students and colleagues.
Kulkarni is one of four College of Engineering faculty members to receive the award, joining mechanical and aerospace engineering professor Steve Robinson, electrical and computer engineering associate professor Josh Hihath and civil and environmental engineering professor and chair Chris Cappa.
"I am grateful to the department in helping me set up my research group,” he said. Also, I am very lucky to have a great group of graduate students, who have enthusiastically participated in various mentorship and organizational strategies over the past two years."
Kulkarni has only been at UC Davis since 2018, so the award is a testament to his impact in that short amount of time. He advises eight graduate students and teaches the graduate course, “Chemical Kinetics and Reaction Engineering” (ECH 256). He is also affiliated with the materials science and engineering graduate program.
He received his B.S. in chemical engineering at the Institute of Chemical Technology in Mumbai, India and his Ph.D. in chemical and biomolecular technology at Georgia Institute of Technology. He worked as a postdoctoral scholar and research engineer at Stanford University before coming to UC Davis. His research uses computational methods to accelerate the design and discovery of functional materials for catalysis, separation, sensing and electronics.
The Graduate Advising and Mentoring Awards are part of a new initiative by UC Davis Graduate Studies to showcase and promote positive advising and mentoring experiences for graduate students.
“Advising and mentoring efforts enhance graduate student retention and well-being, allowing graduate students to successfully navigate and thrive in graduate programs,” said the Graduate Studies news story.